Quakes to host EPL's Norwich City on July 20

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club will host Norwich City of the English Premier League on Saturday, July 20, at Buck Shaw Stadium with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. PT. The match marks the fourth-consecutive year the club has hosted a team from the English Premier League for a summer friendly.

Individual tickets for the match first go on sale through a special pre-sale for Visa cardholders on Wednesday, May 8 at 10 a.m. PT, available exclusively at www.sjearthquakes.com. Tickets then go on sale to the general public on Thursday, May 9 at 10 a.m. PT on the club’s website and by calling Tickets.com at (800) 225-2277. Season ticket holders should use their Bonus Game “A” ticket for the match. Season ticket holders will also be able to purchase additional individual and group tickets starting on Thursday, May 2, at 10 a.m. until the public on-sale date by calling their fan relations specialist.

“We are very happy to host Norwich City for an international friendly this summer,” said Earthquakes President Dave Kaval. “This match is another great opportunity for Bay Area soccer fans to watch a top-notch opponent play against their local club.”

The Earthquakes’ summer schedule includes a number of intriguing dates. It all starts on Saturday, June 29, against the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium, where the club will host a fireworks extravaganza as part of its Salute to Armed Forces Night, presented by XFINITY. Next up is A&W Root Beer Float Night on Saturday, July 13, when the Earthquakes host Seattle Sounders FC for the final time in 2013. Next up is a friendly against Norwich City followed by the Portland Timbers on Saturday, July 27 to close out the month.

With three games left in the EPL season, Norwich City is No. 14 in the table with 38 points from a 8-14-13 record. Among their marquee results were 1-0 wins against first-place Manchester United on November 17 and Arsenal on October 20. They also knocked off Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup on October 31 before bowing out in the quarterfinals. Their current roster includes former Earthquakes striker Kei Kamara. The Sierra Leonean has one goal in six appearances for the Canaries while on loan from Sporting Kansas City. The squad also features three players with Scottish national team experience – defenders Russell Martin and Steven Whittaker and midfielder Robert Snodgrass – as well as Cameroonian defender Sebastien Bassong, Canadian forward Simeon Jackson and Norwegian midfielder Alexander Tettey.

Norwich City celebrated its 110th anniversary in June of last year. They have spent six years in England’s top division since the formation of the Premier League with the most recent stint stemming from the 2011-12 campaign. Their best finish came in the EPL’s inaugural season in 1992-93, ending the season No. 3 overall to earn a spot in the Europa League. Among Norwich City’s notable alumni is former Earthquakes winger Darren Huckerby, who scored 36 goals for the Canaries from 2003-08.

The Canaries’ tour to the United States has been organized by PSC Ltd (www.pscltd.co.uk) and First Wave Sports (www.firstwavesports.com) who have been involved in organizing recent U.S. pre-season tours for numerous other EPL teams such as Everton, Aston Villa, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City.

The meeting between Norwich City and San Jose will be the first ever. The Earthquakes are 1-0-3 all-time when hosting an EPL club, including a 2-1 win against West Bromwich Albion on July 12, 2011, during which goalkeeper David Bingham struck a ball off the grass and scored from 90 yards out. San Jose also played club partner Tottenham Hotspur to a scoreless draw on July 17, 2010 in front of what was then a stadium-record 10,712 fans.